Rachel Gilmour

Rachel Gilmour

Liberal Democrat — Tiverton and Minehead

Speaking in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025

Debate

Economic Growth: Rural Areas

Contribution

While I welcome the Government’s rural growth plans, I am concerned about the persistent poverty in many rural areas. The additional costs of living in these communities—known as the rural premium—exacerbate hardship. What specific steps will the Chancellor take to support those in, or near, poverty in rural areas, and will the Treasury commit to revising the indices of multiple deprivation to more accurately reflect deprivation in rural and coastal communities, such as west Somerset and mid Devon?

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